The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-08-10

directly prlJsorfionej 30 his possession -
Latent nerve force Consequently he
calmly and resolutely had determined TO
let Mr.. Vellu,n WOO symnee to the fall
Of his wishes, but he proposed to know
exactly how much he actually loved her
by keeping track Of the process with his
galvanometer.
His plan was simply this: Mr.. Vellnm,
while making Ioye, should be insulated
and should be the connecting link be-
tween two positive and negative wires,
which wires should run from the arena Of
loves young dream, the beautiful twilight
! stiffness Of the garden, into the matter Of
fact..seciusion and the unsentimentai sur
rcundings Of Mr. When's library This
was why he had insisted on silk clothing,
because he wanted 10 give Mr. Nellum
every show, and silk was the best con
ductor in the list Of fabrics Consequent
ly. having given his consent, he fitted up
two stationary stuffed cloth chairs be-
meath a spreading elm, just where col
onade Of beautiful trees led away to the
moonlif surface Of . sleeping silver lake.
II was a beautiful place for mans heart,
I beating with all the high hopes and
pure and ennobling ambitions Of manly
4 love, 70 expand itself Il was also first
class locality 70 bring out all the sympa-
ihetic electricity there was in him,
/ thought the old gentleman as he survey
ed his work and chuckled. The chairs
were similar and were placed side by
side quite close together. The only differ
ence between them WAS that Mr.. Nellum's
had two narrow strips Of brass running
down the back and across the seat Of The
chair outside Of the woolen upholstery.
From these slips two fine No y copper
wires led down the chair legs, up the
trunk Of the elm. along branch, across
the lawn TO the poFtico, around the cor
ner Of the house, through the library
window and connected with the positive
and negative poles Of Mr. When's gal
yanomeier. The chairs stood on the
platform, which appeared 10 be Of rough
wood but was really large plate Of rough
glass. Mr.. Velium, when he obeyed the
promptings Of his deep affection, would
be absolutely insulated with the excep-
ton Of the brass strips which he would
infsllibly touch whichever way he sat
and thereby complete the circuit Every
ohm Of vital electricity set free by the
psyche physiological reactions Of his de-
yeloping sentimental perturbation would
therefore directly seek an equilibrium in
the wires If he pretended to love Sym
inetry and the galyanometer reading was
against him, he old man proposed 70 set
the dog on him without delay.
By dusk on Saturday evening Symmet-
ry was waiting. in the tender trying con-
flict Of a young girls heart, for her lovers
step. She knew something Of the plan.
She was perforce a party to it. She did !
not dare to tell Mr. Vellum for fear her
father had some unearthly machine by
which he would catch her at it. Dressed |
in snowy null, with the velvet blush Of
the unfolding rose upon her cheek, she /
Was as gentle, as perfect and as fair Is
some women are who make the biblical /
angel rational supposition. Dressed |
half an hour too early she came down
stairs and stole softly and alone into the
dark library where the galganometer, |
with It's cool polished face Of convex |
glass, its shining nickle rim, its circular /
scale, with the fine degree marking, and |
its thin, almost invisible needle, lay 81 |
lent upon her fathers desk. Who can |
tell what loving hopes and tender fears
were hers as she gazed tinidlv upon that
delicate thing Of metal and of glass upon |
which all her life happiness depended? ? |
Who can tell the unexpressed longing |
that came to her as she wished il were |
only pug dog or policeman OF any
thing that, by woman's diplomacy, she |
could win over to her cause. But no II 1
was cold and quiet and beyond her. But |
she leaned over inpulsiyely and kissedIt; |
kissed it warmly and eagerly upon its
fss,e as all the love in her heart outshone. |
The needle trembled slightly in gallant 1
recognition. That was all.
Mr.. Vellnm arrived duly and was ush-
cred in by Symmetry to her father. The
old man eyed him sharply while they ex
changed afew commonplaces, and Nelium /
fondly imagined that the searching glance
was probing deep into his moral charac-
ter, but it wasn't. 1t was directed entire
IN at his underclothes. it was a little |
awkward to ask a stranger about his I'M
derwear, particularly when he had not |
been five minutes in the house. Not |
withstanding this, however the old man 1
was several times on the verge Of it, and 4
Symmetry was Ia mortal terror. She was 4
50 nervous that she could neither talk nor 1
SIT still. She rose to her feet
Mr.. Nellum, wouldn't-wouldn't you 1
like to take a walk in the garden?" she |
asked nervously. III is beautiful TO see
the moon rising over the galvanometer." !
The which2" asked Mr. Nellum,
aghast.
The lake, the lake, mean she said 1
hastily, blushing holly in her trembling |
misery.
" ] shonld be delighted, / am sure, said
Nellum. He looked askance al her /
fsther.
~0h don't mind me, don't mind me"
said the old gentleman quickly. He was
rubbing his hands and seemed as pleased T.
as if he were going 70 walk himself The I
two men rose. BE natural; all ! want
Is for you to to be perfectly natural" he
whispered rapidly in Vellu as ear.
Nellum stared at him as if he classed
him as something decidedly unnatural,
~Tll a-I'll endeavor 10 De-" he said,
dryly.
Out of the door and down the wide
graveled walk the lover and the loved
one passed. The languorous hush of the
summer night was perfect. The dewy
air was laden with the scent Of flower and
shrub and tree. Yonder through the hig
dark elms the great gold moon was climb
ing the black velvet wall Of the sky All.
yes, MIR. Nellum If ever in all the dusty
/ years of dusty commerce you OF any other
man would choose to be measured by the
impartial Cupid of exact science, It would
be upon a night and in an hour such as
this, with the pure and warm and pre-